List of English rugby union teams
The English rugby union league pyramid is topped by the Premiership.
Below the Premiership are National 1, National 2 and two National 3 leagues, South and North. Below National 3, the structure is split geographically into four regions: London and South East, Midlands, South West and North.
The London and South East and South West promotion candidates go into National 3 South, and the Midlands and North promotion candidates go into National 3 North. Each of the geographical regions has either two or four divisions (e.g. London 1, London 2 South/North, London 3 South-East/North-East/South-West/North-West, London 4 South-East..etc) which may again be geographically separated.
Below these regional leagues are county leagues (e.g. Sussex, Kent, Hampshire). The county leagues are the lowest levels in the English game.
However, the Midlands region has phased out county leagues and instead have regionalisation down to division 6.
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[edit] Changes for 2009–10
Starting with the 2009–10 season, several leagues changed names:
- National Division One became the RFU Championship.
- National Division Two became the new National League 1.
- National Division Three became the new National League 2.
[edit] Premiership
- Bath Rugby
- Exeter Chiefs
- Gloucester
- Harlequins
- Worcester Warriors
- Leicester Tigers
- London Irish
- Newcastle Falcons (formerly Gosforth)
- Northampton Saints
- Sale Sharks
- Saracens
- London Wasps (Originally Wasps FC)
[edit] RFU Championship
- Bedford Blues
- Birmingham/Solihull Bees
- Bristol
- Cornish Pirates (formerly Penzance and Newlyn)
- Doncaster
- Esher
- London Welsh
- Moseley
- Nottingham
- Plymouth Albion
- Rotherham
- Leeds Carnegie
[edit] National League 1
- Blackheath
- Blaydon
- Cambridge
- Cinderford
- Esher
- Launceston
- London Scottish
- Manchester
- Newbury
- Nuneaton
- Otley
- Redruth
- Sedgley Park
- Stourbridge
- Tynedale
- Wharfedale
[edit] National League 2 North
- Broadstreet
- Bradford & Bingley
- Caldy
- Harrogate
- Hull
- Fylde
- Huddersfield
- Hull Ionians
- Kendal
- Leicester Lions
- Loughborough Students
- Macclesfield
- Preston Grasshoppers
- Rugby Lions
- Waterloo
- Westoe
[edit] National League 2 South
- Barking
- Barnes
- Bridgwater & Albion
- Canterbury
- Clifton
- Dings Crusaders
- Ealing
- Henley
- Lydney
- Mounts Bay
- Richmond
- Rosslyn Park
- Shelford
- Southend
- Westcombe Park
- Worthing
[edit] Former league teams
A number of former league teams have rejoined the thousands of clubs in the regional structure below
- Chinnor
- Cleckheaton
- Darlington
- Darlington Mowden Park
- Halifax R.U.F.C.
- Havant
- Hertford
- North Walsham
- Morley
- Old Patesians
- Orrell (2007)
- Wakefield RFC (Closed down in 2004, on relegation from National Division 1)
- West Park St Helens
- Tabard RFC
- Stoke City
